Yes, it's a legend. No, it is absolutely not worth it…read more
In the touristy area of any Italian city, you know the food is likely to be mediocre and that they're going to rip you off either a little or a lot. That's not just a rule in Naples, it's a hobby. I'm not sure why I ignored my usual skepticism, but I did and I'm sorry. This place rests on the legend that its pizza is somehow magical, as demonstrated by the purity of its insistence on making only four kinds of pie. That's easy to do when 90% of the people who spend money there live in Australia or something, and you're never going to see them again. In other words, who cares about repeat business?
The pizza is: undercooked, soggy, and swimming in oil. You've had better. Not in the U.S., but definitely in Italy. The waiters and cashier are grumpy and rude. Hordes of tourists probably make them that way, but if that can't be a minimum of polite in dealing with the public, that's a great reason to find another job.
The topper came after I paid my bill. (By the way, the pizza price of €6,50 sounds great, right? But add a bottle of water and the cover charge, and now it's 14€.) In any event, as I turn to leave, the furbo at the register essentially orders me to leave a tip. "It's not on the bill, so you have to leave the tip separately," he says. Now, I know there's no tipping in Italy, and I wouldn't have tipped for THAT service anywhere else on planet Earth. But I was so flabbergasted and embarrassed--he and another employee were literally staring at me to see what I'd do--that I meekly walk back to the table and plop down a 2€ coin. So then it was a 16€ lousy experience.
I shouldn't have done it. And you shouldn't be bullied by snippy waiters who serve you crummy pizza. There are more pizzerias in Naples than there are traffic lights. Go find one where they want to earn your business.